Born in Seattle and raised there and in Japan, George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was an internationally recognized painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde fountain designs. While fountain sculptures dominated his work after 1960, he was also prolific in the creation of sumi and watercolor paintings, and wood and metal sculptures. This painting was done in 1960 or 1961 while buildings for Seattle’s upcoming World’s Fair were under construction. John Murphy, a member of the promotions department, organized a day for local artists to come paint or sketch the buildings in process. While this painting does not have Tsutakawa’s typical signature, the information from the donor is that she purchased it directly from the artist that same day. The Washington State Pavilion served as the state's official exhibit hall during the Seattle World's Fair in 1962, and was later converted into a sports arena, first as the Seattle Center Coliseum (1964-1994), then KeyArena (1995-2018), and then 2018-2021 as Climate Pledge Arena.